Mask for air line respirators



F. WILLSON ET AL MASK FOR AIR LINE REsPIRAToRs Aug. 27, 1935.

Original Filed Nov. 2l, 1932 smgentow omega Patented Aug. 27, 1935 MASKFOR AIR LINE RESPIRATORS Frederick Willson, Bern Township, Berks County,and Harry F. Shindel, Reading, Pa., assignors to Willson Products, Inc.,Reading, Pa., a corporation oi Pennsylvania 1 Original applicationNovember 21, 1932, Serial No.

12, 1933, Serial No. 684,782

643,630. Divided and this application August.

2 Claims.

This application is a division of our copending application Serial No.643,630 filed November 21, 1932 and the invention disclosed hereinrelates to protective equipment and particularly to an im- 5 provedrespirator mask especially adapted for use with air line respirators inwhich air is supplied under pressure to the respirator.

It is desirable when air is supplied under pressure to a worker'srespirator to purify the air as much as possible, for example by meansof aniair conditioner such as disclosed in said parent application. inorder to remove traces of vapor.or fluids, such as water and oil, whichenter the air line incidentally to the use olla compressor. It is alsodesirable to reduce possible discomfort and/or physical .1 irritation toa wearer arising from supplying air under pressure to the respirator;such. for example as result from air being blown along the sides of awearers nose and escaping past the edges of the respirator mask into thecorners of the eyes and against the eyelids and lashes.

Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide arespirator mask adapted to reduce possible discomfort resulting fromsupplying air under pressure to the respirator.

The foregoing and other objects 4and advantages oi the invention will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description andappended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawingin which:

Figure l is an end elevation of the improved respirator mask, and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the respirator mask andmounting casing therefor.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I0 designates a respirator towhich air under pressure is supplied through a pressure airlinepreferably having therein an air conditioner for removing traces of oil,water and the like from the air beiore the latter reaches therespirator. The respirator lo, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises amask 3d, oi' suitable exible material such as rubber, formed to enclosethe nose and mouth of a wearer and shaped to conformingly contact theiace about the nose and mouth. At its forward end mask is provided witha semi-rigid llange 3l insertable through an aperture in the end wall ofa screw cap 32 so that the annuluslike end wall 33 of the cap ts in thegroove between ilange 3l and the adjacent portion of the mask properwhen the mask is attached to the cap. Screw cap 32 is interengaged witha similar screw cap. 34 to constitute a mask ring or casing. The convexportion of a hemispherical (Cl. 12h-145) end member 35 extends throughthe aperture in the cap 34 while the flange 3l of the member is disposedadjacent the annulus-like end. wall of the cap. Member 35 is providedwith a nipple 23 for connection to air line I I for supplying the airunder pressure 'to the respirator I0. l

At its lower side the inlet member 35 is providedwith a small aperture24 forming a drain i for vapors and/or fluids, such as oil or waterwhich may reach the mask and which` may be condensed out of the airstream by impingement on a balile plate 4I where one is provided.

In order to prevent air which enters under pressure forcing its way pastthe edges of the mask. particularly along the nose and adjacent the eyesatthe top portion of the mask, the wall of the mask is continueddownwardly providing a web 3l extending across the usual respiratoropening 39 opposite inlet 29 in the path of the stream of air enteringthe mask ring under pressure. An. opening 38 through which air entersthe interior of the mask is provided in the lower portion oi' the websubstantially in alinement with a wearer's mouth. As shown the opening33 is located ad jacent theoutlet 40 of the mask so that air in excessof the amount required for breathing may escape by way of the outlet 40through whicha wearer exhales, air admission through said opening beingprevented by a ilap valve, not shown, but of any usual construction, asvalve I1 in McBride Patent No. 1,730,227, oi October l, 1929.

'I'he web 31 thus acts as a baille to direct the iiow of air, preventingit being blown along the wearers nose so that it will not causediscomfort or physical irritation to a wearer.

If desired, the respirator may also be provided with a baile plate 4Iwhich is substantially hemispherical and has a flange I9 engaged betweenthe end of cap 32 and the iange 36 of member 35 for 4securing it inplace. The convex surface of baille plate 4| is opposed to the inletnipple 29 so that air forced under pressure into the mask impingesagainst the baie plate. The baille plate is provided with a plurality ofcircularly arranged apertures 22 through which the air is diverted topass to the web 31 adjacent the outer part thereof. As shown in Fig. 2,portions 23 of the baille plate adjacent the apertures 22 are formed toextend outwardly at an angle relatively to the hemispherical surface ofthe plate so that they form secondary bales, about which the air flowsto pass through the apertures instead of being blown directlytherethrough. Thus, the concentrated stream of air entering the maskunder pressure is broken up by impinging against baille plate Il andcaused to flow substantially uniformly through the mask ring 32, 34, thebaille plate 4I acting in conjunction with the mask-web 37 to preventdiscomfort to a wearer because of the supply of air under pressure.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been describedin detail, there are many changes and variations which may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention and, therefore, it isdesired to include al1 such changes and variations within the scope ofthe appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with a pressure air line, an air-tight connectingcasing comprising a pair of complementary clamping caps having aperturedends and surrounding rims adapted to clampingly engage a line connectingmember in one apertured end and a face mask in its opposite aperturedend, of a face conforming mask having a narrowed nose-enclosing upperend and a widened mouthenclosing lower end and an annular attachingflange engageable in said end apertured clamping cap, a membrane forminga web within the space surrounded by said attaching ilange, saidmembrane having an aperture therein adapted to direct air ow from saidcasing into the widened mouth-enclosing lower end of said mask.

2. An integrally formed face-conforming respirator mask of flexiblematerial, comprising a cupped chamber having a face-contacting walledge, a narrowed nose-enclosing upper portion, and a, widenedmouth-enclosing lower portion formed with a membrane wall portion havingan air-directing inlet to said chamber, and an air supplyattachingflange on the outer wall surrounding said membrane portion,substantially as set forth.

FREDERICK WILISON. HARRY F. SHINDEL.

